t always helps to tell someone else. Who knows but what I may
help you. Is it a real worry, Freda?"

"So real that sometimes I am afraid to think about it!"

There was no mistaking the girl's fear. She looked over her shoulder
as though she expected to see some unpleasant object, or person.

"Suppose you begin at the beginning," suggested Cora, with a smile.
"Then I'll know what we are talking of."

"I don't know what the beginning was," said Freda slowly, "but I can
almost see the--ending," and she seemed to shiver. "But where are you
going, Cora, you and your friends?" she asked. "I must not be selfish
and talk only about myself."

"We are going to Crystal Bay."

"Crystal Bay! How odd, just where mother is, and where I am going.
Then I shall see you often."

"I hope so," murmured Cora. "We have a cute little bungalow, and the
boys--my brother and his chums--will use a tent. But I want to hear
more about your trouble. Really, Freda, you do look quite ill."

"Perhaps that is partly because I have been traveling all night. It is
always so wearying. But my chief cause of anxiety is for mother. She
is really on the verge of a breakdown, the doctor says. Oh, if
anything happens to her----"

"Don't think of it," urged Cora. "Perhaps it will help you if you tell
me some particulars."

"I will," said Freda, bravely. "It is this way. My grandfather was a
pioneer land-owner of a large tract at Crystal Bay. It came to us,
after papa died, and we lived well on the income from it, for there
was much farm land besides the big house we lived in. But a month or
so ago a big land company, that wants to get our property for a
factory site, filed a claim against us, saying we had no good title to
the estate. They said certain deeds had not been filed, and that we
were only trespassers, and must get off."

"And did you go?" asked Cora, with deep interest.

"Not yet, but I am afraid we'll have to. You see these men took the
matter to court. They got an injunction, I think it is called. Anyhow,
it was some document that forbade the people who rent the land from us
from paying us any more money until the case was settled. And, as we
depend on the rents for our living--well, you see we haven't any
living now, to speak of," and Freda tried to smile through her tears.

"Oh, that's a shame!" cried Cora, impulsively. "And can nothing be
done?"

"We have tried, mother and I. But we really have no money to hire
lawyers, and neithe